


Two Too Many

by sleepyybabe



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Midnight, three dans, what even is this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:58:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6173773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyybabe/pseuds/sleepyybabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan wakes up to what could be a lovely morning, but is graced with the presence of 2009 Dan and 2012 Dan. A wannabe emo, clinging onto the notion that he will have a perfect relationship with Phil, and a slightly depressed, moody, downer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dan closed the sleek lid of his laptop. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, turning over in bed.   
“I’m going out to the store, okay? I’ll be back in about two hours.” Phil called from below. There was a sound of metal cheerily jangling around, and the door opened and shut. Silence swallowed the house in London. Dan smiled from under the covers of his bed. This year, 2016, Dan had decided to slowly start being a little more… honest… about his feelings towards Phil. And lately, Dan had felt like Phil was reciprocating these emotions. Smothering a grin, Dan sat up and rumpled his ‘hobbit hair’, as Phil called it. Dan’s piercing scream rang throughout the house.   
“What the fuck is going on?” Dan screamed.   
Two other Dans stood in the bedroom, staring back at the Dan that had been smiling in his bed a minute ago.   
“Where the hell am I?” one of them looked around, frowning at the mess.   
“Are those Phil’s shoes?” he scowled, and glared at the other Dan that had not spoken yet.   
“What just happened?” the final Dan to speak looked around, completely lost.   
“You - you guys. What are your names? What last happened? What time was it?” Dan asked, not even wanting to hear the answers.   
“I’m Dan Howell, it was 2009, and I was snuggling with Phil.”   
“I’m Dan Howell, it was 2012, and I ignored Phil and watched anime without him.”   
“I’m Dan Howell, it is 2016, and Phil just left to get groceries.”   
“Wait, wait, wait. 2012 Dan, did you just ruin my relationship with Phil?” 2009 Dan frowned, angry at the prospect of losing his boyfriend.   
“HE was the one who started the fight!” 2009 Dan growled.   
“Fight? FIGHT?” 2012 Dan’s voice rose in pitch as his face flushed.   
“Yeah. We had a fight, and things get really rough. Don’t worry though, we eventually make up and get back to where we are now.” 2016 Dan lays a reassuring hand on 2009 Dan’s shoulder, and smiles.   
“And what’s that supposed to mean? Hey - did you…” 2012 Dan grabbed a laptop and opened it up.   
“Woah! That’s an amazing computer!” 2009 Dan’s eyes grow wide at the sight of the trim MacBook Pro Light.   
“Thanks.” 2016 Dan beams proudly.   
Meanwhile, the Dan possessing the computer types in ‘dan howell coming out video’ and frantically looks, then sighs with relief as nothing comes up.   
“Oh thank god. Hey, wait a minute… 5 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS?” he practically shrieks.  
“WHAT?” 2009 Dan spins around, his hair flying in his face.   
“Yeah, we’re both pretty popular.” Dan shrugs.   
“Hang on… heart eyes Howell? A gaming channel together? Angel bean? You guys aren’t even trying anymore!” Dan’s face turns bright red as he spits out the words.   
“Yes! So we do get back together, then.” Dan peers over the other Dan’s shoulder as they catch up on years of Phan.   
“Well, yeah. After all we are an aspirational nerdy couple now.” 2016 Dan cracks up at the sims reference while the other two stare blankly.   
“So, am I really going to be that jerk in a few years?” Dan points at 2012 Dan who is muttering darkly about Phil and failure.   
“Yes, sadly. It’s not our proudest time, but you have to push through.” 2016 Dan grimaces.   
“Hmmph. So how’s Phil working out for you?” 2009 Dan snorts.   
“Oh, would you just shut up? After 2013 we became close friends and then started flirting with each other and we’ve kissed a couple times and any day now something big will happen between us.” Dan informs them confidently.   
“Awww. Look at him! I love his haircut!” 2009 Dan now has control of the computer and is watching Phil’s videos. Even 2012 Dan has to admit he’s adorable.   
“Hold up. What is this?” Dan notices the black book on the shelf.   
“The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire. By… Dan Howell and Phil Lester?” he gawks.   
“Yup! We wrote a book! It’s a bestseller and it was SO much fun!” Dan grins, and flips it open. 2012 Dan simply stares blankly as he runs his fingers over the full page color pictures of him and Phil together. Wordlessly, his eyes fill up with tears.   
“What the heck is… tatinof?” 2009 Dan squints at the screen, distracting them from the crying Dan, who furiously hides his tears.   
“The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire. We go on tour and, in fact, are leaving for the US in a couple weeks.” 2016 Dan smiles broadly as he reminisces over memories of the UK branch.   
“Woah. No way.” the others chorus together.   
“Yes way.” Dan nods solemnly. 

“I’m back, Dan!” the door slams shut, and Phil’s feet pad up the stairs to Dan’s room.   
All three Dans look at each other, a range of emotions playing out on their faces.


	2. Please Stop Existing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here! I got your comments and here it is. (And yes, I realize that the ending guarantees the third chapter.) Please check out my other works, and I love hearing from you guys. Also, I wanted to say that I am in A LOT of fandoms, so you can comment a fandom and I will publish a fic for it. Maybe. Thanks! Luv ya! <3

“What’re we going to do?” 2016 Dan hissed through clenched teeth.   
“Phil! My darling!” 2009 Dan began walking towards the door, forgetting that he was not supposed to exist.   
“You idiot! Come back!” 2016 Dan furiously motioned for him to hide.   
Sighing with aggravation, 2012 Dan made a flying leap towards the youngest Dan who was about to pull the door open.   
“You complete twit! You live in 2009! NOT 2016!” 2012 Dan dragged the trembling and wide-eyed Daniel over and they both attempted to crawl under the bed. The oldest Dan sat on the bed quickly and grabbed his laptop.   
“Hi Dan.” the door cracked open and Phil’s smiling head popped through. Dan heard a little gasp and looked down to see 2009 Dan’s eyes peeking out from underneath. Dan blushed awkwardly and tried to subtly kick Dan back under. The curtain dropped but Phil looked at Dan, clearly puzzled.   
“Are you kicking the bed?” he asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion.   
“Uh… yep. Physical therapy.” Dan threw in a wink at the end.   
Phil looked suddenly taken aback, his big blue eyes blinking. The awkward wink was Dan’s trademark when he was flustered.   
“Physical therapy? I haven’t heard anything about that. Are you okay Dan?” Phil’s voice was soft and concerned, and he sat down on the bed next to Dan. Phil tenderly reached out and put an arm around Dan.   
“What’s going on?” Phil looked straight into Dan’s eyes, honestly worried about him.   
Dan was mentally kicking himself in the head.   
“Where the hell did physical therapy come from? I could’ve just shrugged. What do I say?” Dan thought wildly, his pulse speeding up.   
“Erm… well, I didn’t want to worry you, I just hurt my leg yesterday and so I was looking for stretches online while you were away.” Dan faltered, a pathetic grin plastered on his face.   
Phil raised an eyebrow and grabbed Dan’s computer.   
“No you weren’t. You were… watching my videos?” Phil turned around, beaming.   
“Don’t be embarrassed, love.” Phil leaned over and planted a kiss on Dan’s head, rolling his eyes.   
Dan seized the opportunity.   
“Ha ha. Yup. Your videos are great.” Dan smiled, being honest for once.   
“I’m going to go edit my newest video, but really, Dan? Physical therapy? I’ll always find the truth.” Phil exited the room, still shaking his head at Dan’s weird behavior. 

The second the door clicked shut, both Dans sprang out from under the bed.   
“Wow! Phil is so handsome now, and we are the cutest couple.” the youngest Dan swooned, thinking of Phil.   
“He still is pretty cute.” 2012 Dan admitted.   
“But I agree with him. Physical therapy? Because you hurt your leg? You’re so lucky we were watching those videos and everything played out like it did.” 2012 Dan reverted back into his grumpy self, peering out at the world through slitted eyes.   
“Well, we still have a problem. How are we going to hide you two from Phil?”   
“We probably won’t be here forever.” 2009 Dan piped up.   
“Oh shoot.” 2016 Dan’s eyes grew large as he thought of all the everyday things that would be hard to work around.   
“We might as well die.” 2012 Dan offered.   
“I can’t believe I’m going to be that depressed thing. I want to be emo, not gloomy and miserable.” 2009 Dan shuddered.   
“Oh my god, I get it. You hate me. Just like everyone else.” 2012 Dan slumped.   
“He didn’t mean it. Look, we need to all get it together, and start cooperating.” 2016 Dan stared at the other two, and crossed his arms.   
“I’m sorry.” 2009 Dan blushed and buried himself in tabinof.   
“The internet is crazy. It’s so cool! Hey… what kind of phone do you have?” 2012 Dan asked hopefully. 2009 Dan turned around, his interest piqued.   
“An iPhone 6.” Smugly, Dan pulled out his phone.   
“It’s so sleek! And big! And it looks all new and modern.” they gasped.   
“It’s iOS 9, I think.” Dan grinned at their reactions. Quickly, 2012 Dan snatched it out of his grasp and put his thumb on the homescreen button.   
“It unlocked all by itself! That’s so stupid!” he gasped.   
“No it didn’t. It can unlock with a passcode, or it will scan your finger, and since we have the same fingers it unlocked for you.” Dan explained patiently.   
“What? Scanning your fingers? I’m seven years behind, so this is crazy. An iPhone 6, wow!” 2009 Dan was still reeling in shock.   
“Dan! Hey, Dan!” Phil yelled from downstairs.   
“Yeah?” Dan called back, and hurriedly put the other Dans back under the bed.   
“What do you want to do for dinner?” Phil asked.   
“How about we go out for dinner tonight?”   
“Really, you want to?”   
“Yeah.” Dan sighed, at least the other two wouldn’t have to hide up here during dinner.   
“Where to?”   
“You surprise me, darling!”   
Phil opened the door. Dan, surprised, stumbled backwards a bit. His knees hit the bed, and he buckled, flying backwards onto the bed.   
“Dan? Why are you acting so weird? Are you okay?” Phil offered a hand, and pulled Dan up.   
“Thanks. I - I don’t know. I’m fine. Maybe a little tired.” Dan’s shoulders sank down, and he layed back on the bed.   
“Okay, then. Just take a little nap, then we can shower and leave.” Phil nodded and laid down on the edge of the bed. Dan moved and put his head on Phil’s chest, snuggling against the warm body. Phil lazily stroked Dan’s head, the two peppering each other with light kisses until they were both asleep. 

“Well this is great. We’re stuck under here for hours.” 2012 Dan pounded the floor angrily.   
“Shhh! Don’t wake them up,” 2009 Dan started, then sighed, “but I really don’t want to stay down here for that long.” he groaned.   
“We can get out from under the bed. As long as we’re quiet and quick.” he smirked, an idea forming behind his brown fringe. Slowly, the two crawled out from under the bed, sneaking below the black and white bed cover. The two Dans stood up, and immediately pivoted to look at the sleeping couple. Phil was sprawled out over the bed and Dan was snuggled against him, pressing into him, and Phil’s arms were wrapped around him.   
2012 Dan gave a long sigh, full of wanting, and immediately 2009 Dan knew he totally wasn’t over Phil.   
“You’re still in love, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.   
“What?” Dan blushed, stammering.   
“You love Phil. Don’t lie.” the youngest Dan turned and looked him in the eyes, fiercely. All he wanted was to protect Phil and he could not allow him to hurt any longer.   
“Fine. Whatever. I’m not over him. I spend my nights crying and thinking about cutting myself. I hate myself and all I want is to have Phil again.” bitterly, Dan spat out the words, staring straight ahead. 2009 Dan was taken aback by the raw emotion, warily viewing him out of the corner of his eye.   
“Promise me when you get back you’ll tell him.”   
“Tell him what?”  
“Promise me.”   
“O - Okay.”   
Phil stirred on the bed, and rubbed Dan’s back. Nervously, the two other Dans made it under the bed just in time.   
“I’m going to take a shower, okay?” Phil spoke, his voice rough from sleep.   
“Yeah. ‘Kay.” Dan sleepily murmured. The other two Dans blushed under the bed as some groans were heard. They finally broke apart, and a shirtless Phil slipped out of the room. The Dan on top of the bed sighed happily, and then remembered.   
“Did you guys hear that?” he swung down, peering back at them.   
“Yeah. Can’t wait for tonight!” they sang, wiggling their eyebrows. Dan fell back. Tonight was going to be interesting. 

“Ready?” an hour later, Phil leaned in Dan’s doorway, tossing around his car keys.   
“Uh huh.” Dan walked over to him, just as Phil dropped the keys.   
“Oops.” Phil bent over to pick them up, and when he stood up, Dan wrapped him in an embrace, planting a sweet kiss on his lips.   
“I love you, you klutz.” Dan told him.   
“You too.” Phil took his hand and smiled in a dazed way. Holding hands and walking shoulder to shoulder, the two left the house.   
“We’re going!” Dan called as they exited.   
“Who are you talking to?” Phil asked him, wondering yet again what on earth had gotten into Dan.   
“Oh! Er… nobody. I was just being weird again.” Dan tried to compose himself, clearly flustered. He swore that he could hear the two giggling upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya didn't catch the summary: I will be posting a pt. 3, please comment, if you comment a fandom i might write a fanfic for it since I'm in A LOT of fandoms, and I love you guys! <3 Check out my other stories, too.


	3. Behave Yourselves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil go out on their dinner date, but Dan keeps worrying about what the other two are doing. Meanwhile, Dan isn't the only one with a secret...
> 
> (As a peace offering for not posting in a while, I added a plot twist)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Apologies for it being on the shorter side and for me taking so long. I've been sick in bed for the past two days and have slept more than humanly possible, and as soon as that was over I asked out the nb person I like (I'm she/her) and have been feeling rly gay and happy for a while. Read until the end for a surprise, darlings. Luv ya!

“Home alone, at last!” 2009 Dan sighed loudly, and flopped onto the ground.   
“What’re we going to do?” 2012 Dan stood up to stretch, ignoring how his brown fringe flopped in his face.   
“You mean what aren’t we going to do.” Dan corrected him, a grin slowly crawling up his face.   
“Umm… make out with each other?” 2012 Dan said, looking slightly taken aback.   
“Well, duh, but we have access to everything in this house, and we’re all alone.” 2009 Dan stared at the other one, his eyebrows raised, asking if he understood now.   
“Yes!” the two slapped each other’s palms and split up.   
“Look at this gaming console!”   
“Woah!” 2009 Dan sprinted to meet the other one, balancing bowls of food in his hands. The two Dans settled down in the couch and began playing and eating, including smashing the occasional object when they lost and generally wrecking everything in the house. 

***

“Are you okay, Dan?” Phil looked over the table at Dan, who had seemed on edge the entire night.   
“I’m fine Phil.” Dan said warily, looking behind his shoulder. His leg jiggled nervously, and he was obsessively checking his phone for notifications.   
“Dan…” Phil’s voice took on a softer tone, and he set his hand on Dan’s leg, tracing circles with his thumb.   
“I’m sorry, Phil.” Dan’s head drops and he relaxes, giving in to Phil’s warmth. Phil wraps an arm around Dan, brushing the fringe out of his face.   
“I’m sure it will be fine, Dan.” Phil smiled reassuringly.   
“I just have some stuff that needs to be taken care of.” Dan said sheepishly.   
“Me too. Let’s get home and you can rest some, and then we’ll see if I can help you.”   
“Sure.” Dan sleepily murmured. Phil rubbed Dan’s shoulders as they started walking back home. 

***

“Get the phone, Dan!” the younger Dan had to yell to be heard of the pounding music, but the faint tinkling ringtone could be heard if you concentrated. Dan sprinted across the room and grabbed it.   
“Hello?” he screamed.   
“Phil and I will be back in ten minutes. You two better have behaved yourselves!” Dan hissed into the phone.   
“What? Okay, we’re hurrying!” 2012 Dan hung up with a click and flicked off the music.   
“Dan!” he shrieked.   
“Yeah?” he called back from the other room.   
“Dan, they’ll be back in ten minutes!” 2012 Dan hurriedly found the vacuum and cleaned the messy room while the other Dan scrambled around, turning all devices off and putting things back. The two Dans doubled over, breathing hard, not used to all the exercise. There was a clicking noise and then pounding as two sets of feet ascended the stairs. There was some muffled speaking then a kiss and then Dan and Phil strolled back into their house. The past Dans had already run upstairs and hidden under Dan’s bed. 

Dan shut and locked his door, and then pulled out both Dans from the bed.   
“How was it?”  
“Err… pretty chill.” 2009 Dan spoke.   
“Yeah, we just relaxed with a little bit of food and some TV.” 2012 Dan didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.   
“Dan, darling, where have all our snacks gone? I can’t find any of them… Hey! Where’s my cereal?” Phil yelled from below.   
“A little?” Dan asked angrily.  
“You should be glad that’s all that happened.” 2009 Dan huffed.   
“Whatever.” Dan rolled his eyes and pounded down the stairs to grab his laptop. He smiled at Phil who only mock glared in return.   
“I’m sorry, Phil! I wasn’t planning to eat that much originally!” Dan begged for forgiveness.   
“You literally ate everything in here, Dan.” he frowned. Dan got down on one knee, took Phil’s hand, and kissed it and then looked up hopefully.   
“Don’t think I’m forgiving you because you’re so damn cute.” Phil sighed, rolling his eyes.   
“Yay! Thank you, babe!” Dan kissed his cheek playfully and then went back to his room to rest. Phil smiled to himself and left the kitchen.

Phil Lester locked the door of his room and then discreetly bent down and waved. 2009 Phil and 2012 Phil poked their heads out slowly from under the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Along with this, updates will come out on a few of my other fics: Group Chat and Almost There for sure today. Don't forget to comment, kudos, and read my other fics, I appreciate the support! Thanks! Luv you, babes!


	4. Double Triple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil must hide his doubles from Dan who is also hiding his doubles from Phil. Sadly, they both decide to the spend the rest of the day out of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad that the last update was so short. YOU GUYS THIS ALMOST HAS 1000 HITS! Please help me reach that goal, cos I love this story and love you all! Please comment and leave kudos because I love hearing from you guys, and I really want to get to 1000 hits as a personal goal. Thank you all so much! Your support means a lot to me! <3

“How did the date go?” 2009 Phil asked in his strong Northern accent.   
“I bet it was ace.” 2012 Phil grinned sweetly, but looked up, more alert and protective at the mention of Dan.   
“It was… fine.” Phil flopped down onto his bright bed, and let out a breath, puffing his black fringe up into the air.   
“Just fine?” the other two asked, concern spreading over their sweet faces.   
“He just seemed really nervous the entire time. Always checking his phone, fidgeting, and he had a worried expression on his face. I tried my hardest, but I couldn’t relax him fully.” Phil’s voice cracked on the last bit. He hated nothing more than not being able to help. Three tall figures with dark fringe curled on the bed, chewing their lips in puzzlement. How could they help? Present Phil giggled to himself at the thought of Dan’s reaction of the three of them marching down the stairs. He’d probably insist on some sort of weird make out session where they all just hung with him. Phil came to the conclusion that he should do something like go out to see a movie with the other Phils, give them a break from this room.   
Meanwhile, Dan was sitting in his room with the other Dans, watching them as they explored this updated world. He briefly wondered if he should just tell Phil, but immediately shot it down after deciding that Phil might think he was insane, or say this was the last time he was going to put up with Dan’s drunk hallucinations. (The bunny that seemingly floated over the stairs was really scary.) He drooped a little, and decided that maybe he should take the other Dans out to do something. After all, they were probably growing restless just sitting in his room all the time.   
“Hey Dan, I’ve got some errands to run, I’ll be back in about two and a half hours.” Phil called, while rushing the other two Phils out the door.   
“Sounds great, love.” Dan’s voice floated down. Phil immediately felt a little guilty for lying at the use of the affectionate name, and he had said errands so Dan wouldn’t think he was avoiding him. Phil hopped into his car and the threesome headed off to the theatre.   
Dan turned to the other two.   
“Perfect! Do you guys want go grab lunch?” he asked.   
“No way. You have fans, remember? They flip when it’s just you, but if it’s you and two people that aren’t supposed to exist?” 2012 Dan shook his head skeptically.   
“Oh.” Dan slumped, pondering what they could do.   
“What’s a thing we could do in a dark room?” the youngest Dan asked.   
“Oh, I know! Let’s watch a movie!” the oldest one piped up.   
“Great idea, Dan!” the youngest one giggled to himself as the others slid on coats, laced up shoes, and left the house. Dan texted Phil that he was going out for a bit, but should be back around the same time as him. 

“Dude, check out those three, they look like triplets.” 2012 Dan nudged the others and nodded at three heads with black hair flowing over them. They were a strange group, with the one on the left being the tallest with the shortest hair, the one on the right was the shortest with the longest hair, and the one in the middle was in between them, height-wise and hair-length wise.   
“Huh.” Dan remarked. They took their cherry cola and buttered popcorn and headed off down a corridor. Phil’s favorite drink. Dan thought he saw Phil’s profile on the youngest one, but waved it away quickly. Then he rethought it. Three of them, all of their hair matched Phil’s, his favorite drink, and that would explain why he thought the youngest one looked like Phil.   
“Guys,” Dan hissed, “that could be Phil with his duplicates from the same years as you guys.”   
The other two appeared startled, but frowned and left the idea as bunk. He was just being paranoid, and he needed to relax. Dan’s shoulders tensed up, he couldn’t help it, it made sense. 2012 Dan sensed it and slung a well-needed arm around him, calming him down. They walked into the dark room, momentarily stunned by the flashing lights from the wide screen playing previews, but hurried to find good seats. After squeezing by a rather large lady, they plunked down and then Dan took in a sharp breath. Three black heads were lined up directly below them. 2009 Dan grimaced and then poked the other two.   
“Don’t have a panic attack, but…” he grimly pointed at the seats below them and 2016 Dan had to clasp a hand over his mouth to stop the squeal from escaping. That was when the youngest Phil turned his head to the side to watch a man pass in front of them. 2009 Dan’s eyes grew. That was definitely his Phil and they were definitely screwed.   
The three Dans collectively bit their lips and their chests tightened as one. Their lungs seemed to stop working properly as the boys started gasping for air, and then stopped, not wanting to attract attention and have the Phils see. 

The three Phils happily munched on their popcorn as the movie began, but not too long in 2012 Phil’s fingers scrambled to find a kernel.   
“Guys! You ate all the popcorn.”   
“Oops.” the boys chorused sheepishly. 2016 Phil volunteered immediately to go run out and grab some popcorn for them. He treaded carefully, but still managed to trod on everyone’s feet as he clumsily was ejected from the aisle and tripped his way down to the concessions line. Ten minutes later, he was squinting in the darkness trying to find his seat. He searched the black and white aisles for two similar looking boys, and as he found them, his vision wobbled as he bounced up and down trying not to spill the popcorn. Phil Lester looked at the people directly above them, and tilted his head in confusion as he saw three triplets watching the movie. They all had brown hair and were wearing black. Phil held in a laugh as he filed this information away to tell Dan. He wasn’t going to give them a second glance until he looked back quickly and saw every single one try and hide their face. What was going on? Determined to find out what was happening, Phil bumbled his way into his seat and whipped around. Those three turned around right away, too, but a split second of eye contact was enough for Phil. He could recognize his bear anywhere, or in this case, his bears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and comment! Please, check out my other stories and recommend this fic so we can get 1000 hits. How crazy is that???? <3 ya!


	5. Oops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo guess who is SUPER sorry for being incredibly inactive? I'll be posting more to make up for it, I've just had bad times. You all matter a lot to me! Please leve kudos and comment, I love feedback! Luv ya <3

"Dan?" Phil asked, cocking his head in confusion. Two of the boys turned their heads away, their faces pale. The third one looked down,  
panicking.   
"I am not Dan, I am... Sebastian," he muttered in a horrible French accent. Phil's eyes narrowed.   
"No, you are most definitely Dan from 2009," he frowned. Mutters of 'Dan Howell' filled the room and then a teen girl popped out of her seat.   
"Dan Howell!" she shrieked, piercing the air with her scream. A cluster of people thundered down the stairs and mobbed Dan. The other two past Dans scurried off, careful to hide their faces.   
"Dan! Come back! We need to talk!" the youngest Phil raced after his counterpart. 2012 Phil slowly left to go after the Dan he knew and the present Phil stared at his Dan. Finally, the mob dissipated and the two ended up in the lobby.   
"Dan, I trusted you." his voice wobbled.  
"Phil, I just didn't know how to tell you!" Dan searched for a reasonable explanation, eyes lowered in shame.   
"You had me scared, Dan. I had no idea what was going on. Why wouldn't you tell me?" Phil trembled in the cold theater. Dan took a breath and shrugged off his jacket, slipping it over Phil's shoulders. Phil froze up and stalked away.   
"Hey, you didn't tell me either!" Dan shouted at the retreating figure. Phil quickened his pace and exited the theater. Dan sighed, now freezing cold with no way to get home. 

Dan stood in the parking lot, the crisp air surrounding him. Finally, Caspar's car pulled up. Dan jumped in and slammed the door.   
"What happened, you're freezing! Where's Phil?" Caspar asked, the car not moving.  
"Well, two versions of me from the past appeared and I didn't tell Phil and he's mad," Dan looked at his lap, his eyes glossing over.  
"Say this actually happened, where do you want to go?" Caspar asked, rolling his eyes.   
"Er, do you mind if I bunk with you for a bit?" Dan asked, rubbing the tears from his eyes.   
"Sure- are you crying? Your story makes no sense but you seem very upset," Caspar was clearly confused. Dan stared pointedly out the window, rigid. 

Dan sprawled on the bed and his phone vibrated with another text from Phil. He hadn't gone home or contacted anyone for three days. Caspar just wasn't the same as Phil. He needed to go home.


	6. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil are a wreck without each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYYY GUESS WHO'S BACK and also maybe publishing a Jaspar fic WITH a Phan cameo later today or tomorrow? Be on the lookout for that. I miss you all so much, and *again* I'm sorry for giving you a long wait. But I may have a super special treat for you soon *winks*

Dan sprawled on the bed. It was his third day rooming with Caspar and Joe. He had been suffocating in this environment for it lacked Phil. The sighs and giggles from their bedrooms at night only made his loneliness hurt more. He spent his days curled up in bed in the comforter, scrolling through phan tags on different social medias and watching videos with Phil and himself. His stomach hurt him worse and worse and a pounding headache had occupied his skull, carving Phil’s name into his brain.   
Dan’s skin grew paler, washed out by the weak glow of his phone while a dark tint appeared under his eyes. His hair was rumpled and back to its natural wavy self. Dan looked in the mirror and grimaced as he poked it. Hobbit hair, he remembered with a pang and looked away. A soft knock came at the door.   
“Yeah?” Dan asked, voice weak from isolation. Joe and Caspar nervously walked in and sat down on the bed.   
“Dan, something is clearly wrong and we need you to tell us. We want to help,” Caspar’s soft voice soothed Dan for a moment, yet he immediately sized him up against Phil. Two tall, sweet, goofy, clumsy men. Dan tilted his head back, thoughts washing over him.   
“Okay,” he finally spoke. Stretching his back, Dan slowly prodded the covers off of his body and headed towards the bathroom. The door clicked shut, and as the shower started up Joe and Caspar smiled at each other. However, Phil wasn’t doing so well himself.

***  
Phil stumbled around the flat, eyes bleary, fumbling to find his glasses. His twins from the past had fallen into a depressed stupor, tracing pictures of Dan with their fingers. Dan’s replicas had done nothing but snub Phil, blaming him for this whole mess and refusing to reconcile with their counterparts. Phil had already eaten through Dan’s cereal, and had retired to watching anime during the day and Dan’s videos.   
A thought flashed through his mind as he was struck with a sudden boldness. Phil adjusted his glasses and smoothed out his rumpled shirt while wrestling into a pair of pants. He sat in front of a mirror, straightening his fringe and mustering up all his courage. He was going to get Dan back. 

***

Dan had finally changed his clothes and showered, smelling and looking much nicer. However, his tale was a hard one to believe.   
“Wait, let me get this right, the two Dans are from 2009 and 2012? And there are two Phils from those years?” Joe cocked his head in confusion, an arm casually slung around Caspar. Dan sighed and nodded, becoming exasperated. Joe and Caspar gave in, deciding to believe in whatever they needed to in order to restore Dan to his normal, cheeky self.   
“Why don’t you just apologize?” Caspar asked.   
“Because I did nothing wrong!” Dan frowned indignantly.   
“Nothing?” asked Joe.   
“Well…” blushed Dan. A resounding knock came at the door.  
“I’ll get it,” Dan shook his head.  
“If you’re sure you’re ready to interact with others logically,” Caspar patted him on the back sarcastically, but a hint of lightness threaded into his tone. 

Dan opened the door and his dark lashes went up in surprise. Two bright blue eyes, familiar eyes, stared back at him with a mixture of love, passion, and fear swirling in them.   
“Yes?” he asked icily.   
“Look, I’m sorry for accusing you of starting this mess. You’re right, I hid my two Phils from you and snapped at you back in the theater.”   
“Yeah, you did.” Dan drew himself to his full height.   
“You sound upset, is everything okay Dan?” Caspar appeared behind Dan, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Phil’s head moved back a fraction of an inch very slightly.   
“Oh. Is this where you’ve been?” Phil asked, harshness creeping into his voice.   
“Yeah, this is Caspar’s place.” Dan responded, confused. He closed his eyes with the sudden realization of what this looked like to Phil.   
“No! No, not like that all! This is Caspar and Joe’s place! I would never do that - and with Caspar! Never!” Dan gasped to Phil. Caspar, slightly stung, took his hand off of Dan’s shoulder, and walked away, throwing one last thing over his shoulder.   
“You’re not the only guilty one Phil. Dan’s locked himself in a room, watching your videos the entire time. This is the first time I’ve seen him since.” he sniffed. Phil looked at Dan in surprise, a bit angry and partially enjoying this.   
“Is that true?”   
“Mmm… yeah.” Dan looked down at his feet.   
“And you had me feeling like I was the problem here!” Phil was a little angry.   
“We both are,” Dan sighed, sadness brimming in his eyes, “I’ve been a wreck without you and I miss you very much so please, please let me come back, and I don’t think Joe and Caspar can stand me any longer, anyways. Let’s solve this together.” Dan looked up hopefully, rambling a bit.   
“I miss you too, love.” Phil drew out a bouquet and handed it to Dan. Dan blushed, his grin lighting up his face. He stood there for a moment, happy and peaceful, and basking in Phil’s thoughtful gesture. Dan’s cheeks were very pink. He grabbed Phil’s hand and a sense of relief washed over the two of them. Dan slipped his other hand over Phil’s shoulder and tickled the back of his neck. He leaned in, placing his soft lips on Phil’s. Phil breathed in Dan’s scent.   
“Oh god, I missed you so much.” Phil murmured into Dan’s ear. Dan’s kisses trailed down Phil’s face and onto his neck.   
“Why don’t we return home?” he asked with a smirk. Phil nodded and gave Dan’s hair a gentle touch.   
“Hobbit hair,” he spoke, delighted. Dan dove into the car in embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments, it means so much to me when I get feedback. You guys have been super sweet and positive without yelling at me for taking a break again (i'm surprised) Luv ya! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments if you want me to post more! Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed! <3


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